Newly released data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has shown that thanks to policy guidance released in January 2022, more foreign nationals working in the STEM fields are receiving O-1A visas than ever before. In just the first year of issuing its revised guidance for example, issuance…
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USCIS Announces Increase in Premium Processing Filing Fees Starting February 26, 2024
As the new year approaches, we have some unfortunate news to report for certain employment-based applicants who may wish to file their petitions with premium processing service in 2024, including those filing: Form I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, as well as Certain…
New USCIS Policy Guidance Provides Relief for Certain Applicants Filing I-751 Removal of Conditions
If you are a family-based conditional permanent resident who was issued a two-year green card based on your marriage to a U.S. Citizen, then you may be interested to know that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated its policy guidance for Form I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions…
UDDATE: USCIS Changes Filing Location for I-907 Requests for Premium Processing Service for Pending I-140 Petitions
Yesterday, Wednesday December 13, 2023, the United States Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will be transitioning the filing location for Form I-907 Requests for Premium Processing Service, when filed for a pending Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, to appropriate USCIS lockboxes starting Friday December 15,…
The January 2024 Visa Bulletin is finally here: What You Need to Know
The January 2024 Visa Bulletin is finally here, and with it some big advancements for the employment-based preference categories in the New Year, specifically for India and China, and some promising forward movement in the Final Action Dates for EB-2 Worldwide and EB-3 Professional/Skilled Workers Worldwide. For family-sponsored categories, the…
ICE Unveils New Online Portal to Streamline Noncitizen Immigration Obligations
Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a new online portal known as the “ICE Portal,” designed to centralize communications between noncitizens and the federal government. This new online portal will allow noncitizens to conveniently schedule appointments, update their address with ICE, and check immigration court hearing information…
USCIS Extends “MyProgress” to Form I-485 and Form I-821
Did you know? U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that online account holders can take advantage of a new tool called “myProgress.” “MyProgress” allows applicants to view personalized estimates of approximate wait times for major milestones and actions taken on their cases including final case decisions. These estimates…
DHS Announces Countries Eligible for H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs
In continuance of the information provided in our blog post concerning additional visa allocations for the H-2B cap, we share new updates recently from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On November 9, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State (DOS), published…
H-2B Cap Will be Supplemented by 65,000 Additional Visas for FY 2024
We are happy to share some exciting news for H-2B FY 2024 visa applicants and their employers. On November 3, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the government will make available an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. This is…
USCIS Announces 180-day Automatic Extensions of EADs for those with pending I-765 Renewal Applications filed on or after October 27th
It’s a brand-new week full of important updates from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This time for employment authorization documents (EADs). Recently, USCIS announced that certain applicants who have filed to renew their employment authorization cards (EADs) on Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, may qualify for an…